Mumbai: Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on three-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
KKR come into this match with just one win in their IPL 2021 so far. They currently rank fifth in place, only 2 points behind CSK. KKR equip themselves with some talented players Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan. Their opponents, on the other hand, Chennai Super Kings, have been playing fairly well just after yielding one defeat. They come into this match after two impressive wins. The CSK side will need more contributions coming from Shardul Thakur who has performed below expectations so far.
Apart from Shubhman Gill and Nitish Rana, other batters in the team are failing to impress. It's time for Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell to deliver for KKR in the upcoming games.
Andre Russell's death bowling came under the scanner as AB de Villiers ripped him apart at the same venue where he picked up a five-fifer. While Russell is sure to bounce back hard, there is certainly a case for bringing in someone like Lockie Ferguson. One positive for them is that Wankhede is similar to Eden Gardens and it will be their home ground. KKR should be a much stronger side at this venue. Varun Chakravarthy was excellent in the last game as he got rid of Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar in his opening spell. The spinner has decent numbers against the Super Kings.
Chennai is coming into this game on the back of a 45-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals. In an innings where only one batsman crossed the 30-run mark, CSK's long batting provided a decent contribution to get the side to 188 runs in 20 overs.
Moeen Ali added three wickets to his bag to go with his 26-run cameo as CSK found turn on a Wankhede track, while Ravindra Jadeja supported him too. CSK have done well to bounce back from a loss in their opener and both their victories since have been clinical. MS Dhoni's men have hit back hard at those who wrote them off and will look to carry on their winning impetus against KKR.
PROBABLE XI
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C/wk), Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo/Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar